Background: Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important staple food in the lowland of North Shewa, Ethiopia. However, the crop is less researched in this area. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the performance of improved open pollinated variety maize with the participation of farmers’ using their selection criteria for cultivation in the lowland areas of North Shewa. Methods: Fourteen open pollinated maize varieties including local were evaluated in the lowland of Eastern Amhara at Eferatana Gedim district, Yimlo research station in 2016 and 2017 main cropping season. The experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design (RCBD) in three replications. Five agronomic and yield traits were collected in both cropping years. In addition, maize small holder farmers were participated to evaluate and score varieties using the matrix ranking method based on the farmers’ selection attributes. Result: The combined analysis of variance across years showed that highly significant (p less than 0.01) difference for days to anthesis, grain yield. The highest grain yield was obtained from Melkassa-4 (5243 kg/ha) and Melkasa-2 (5115 kg/ha) while the lowest yield was recorded from Rare-1 (3294 kg/ha). The overall yielding ability of Melkasa-4 was higher as compared with the tested varieties. In addition, this variety was highly appreciated by maize farmers in both cropping years. Based on farmer’s selection and yield potential, therefore, Melkassa-4 has recommended for the lowlands of North Shewa and similar agro ecologies in Ethiopia. Support is needed to scale-up and deliver such improved variety through involving farmers in the selection and dissemination of varieties that are adapted to their needs, as it incurred income, good in crop rotation and animal feed.

In the experimental area, there is a lack of improved maize varieties for green cob production. The experiment was conducted at Efratana gidim woreda Yimlo Kebele FTC-station in the North Shewa zone during the 2017 and 2018 experimental years under irrigation conditions. The objective of the study was to select adaptive, high-green cob yielders and farmers who preferred open-pollinated maize varieties for the lowland areas of North Shewa. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Six nationally released open-pollinated maize, varieties including local check, were evaluated for two subsequent years. The combined analysis of variance showed highly significant ( p < 0.01 ) differences for days to anthesis, days to silking, and number of cobs ha−1. In each year, farmers participated and selected the top preferred varieties. During the 2017 experimental year, farmers used a number of cobs per plant, bear tip, cob length, uniformity, husk tip coverage, earliness, and stalk strength as selection criteria, and during the 2018 experimental year, farmers also used cob length, bear tip, earliness, lodging tolerance, and biomass as variety selection criteria. Varieties Melkasa-2 and Melkasa-6Q have been selected in both years. Analysis of variance revealed that both farmers preferred varieties that gave a high number of cobs, which is 46,914 and 41,358 cobs ha−1 for varieties Melkasa-2 and Melkasa-6Q, respectively. Based on this result, varieties Melkasa-2 and Melkasa-6Q were recommended for the North Shewa lowlands and similar agroecology.